Braw Media

Call for a Gaelic trademark to help grow the Gaelic economy and create more jobs

Across whisky, tourism and the food industry many products and services market their Gaelic heritage – but could more be done to grow Gaelic jobs and the Gaelic economy?

Some time ago we had ‘Scotland the Brand’, which closed its doors in 2004. For a fee companies companies could add a ‘made in Scotland’ symbol on their products for a fee of between £250-10,000. The fee always seemed steep and even more 13 years ago. What’s more the logo was usually presented on products that were already so obviously Scottish, to the point that many companies didn’t actually display the icon.

Interest in Gaelic is growing around the World – and with that the spending power of people who have a strong allegiance to Gaelic and Gaelic heritage . Why not connect this market with Gaelic products and services?

I was slightly alarmed to see how much each company had to pay to join ‘Scotland the Brand’ – why not make it free or a nominal amount. A trademark could be registered – and with many more opportunities to promote online – could provide a new marketing segment for businesses who support Gaelic in the workplace or welcome Gaelic speaking customers.

Helps support Gaelic businesses.

Helps brands reconnect with their Gaelic heritage.

Helps visitors identify opportunities to speak Gaelic.

Helps create economic impact and jobs.

You could argue that Gaelic already benefits from tax raised and duty paid on Scottish products and services. However, a Gaelic trademark could help establish a more direct route for consumers to support Gaelic.